The Royal House

The King and the ministers together make up the government. But it is the ministers, not the King, who are responsible to Parliament for what the government does. This is written in the Constitution. All decision-making is in the hands of the ministers, who together form the cabinet.

History

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, as we know it, dates from 1815, when Willem Frederik became King Willem I. He was the son of the last stadholder of the Republic of the United Provinces, Willem V.

The Netherlands' unofficial national colour - orange - is directly inspired by the Orange-Nassau name.

The Orange-Nassau name

The Orange-Nassau name refers to the county of Nassau and the principality of Orange. The House of Orange-Nassau dates from 1544, when Willem, count of Nassau, inherited the principality of Orange from his cousin René de Chalon.

Motto

The Netherlands' motto, Je Maintiendrai ('I will maintain'), is taken from the coat of arms of the family of Orange-Nassau.